The invention relates to a vehicle body having an inner body structure and an outer body skin.
In many vehicles, the front axle has suspension struts, the top fastening points of which are located in a suspension strut cup of the body structure. These fastening points have to be accessible both during vehicle manufacture and also later for servicing or repair purposes. Therefore, the suspension strut cups of the vehicle front end are usually arranged such that they are accessible by opening a front hatch. This requires the front hatch to be so wide that it extends between the two outer lateral boundaries of the two suspension strut cups. To this end, a front hatch can be configured, for example, such that it engages around the top side of the vehicle front end, so that the respective front hatch joint is located close to the, or on, the vehicle outer side. However, if the lateral front hatch joint, for example for design reasons, is situated on the inside of the top side of the vehicle front end, this may result, depending on the size and construction of the vehicle, in the top side of the respective suspension strut cup being situated outside the space which is closed off by the front hatch, that is to say below the inwardly wrapped-around front body side part. Therefore, conflicts in objectives between design and technical requirements may occur, and these have to be resolved.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a vehicle body of this generic type which allows the vehicle front end to be provided with a narrow front hatch, the lateral joints of said front hatch being situated on the inside with respect to the body side part, for example on that side of the respective front headlamp which faces the vehicle longitudinal center plane, and in the case of which front flap it is nevertheless possible to be able to reach the top side of the respective suspension strut cup using tools.
This and other objects are achieved by a vehicle body having an inner body structure and an outer body skin, the body structure, in the region of a vehicle front end, has a left-hand-side supporting carrier and a right-hand-side supporting carrier and also a left-hand-side suspension strut cup and a right-hand-side suspension strut cup for receiving in each case one suspension strut which forms part of the chassis of the vehicle. The respective suspension strut cup rests on that side of the associated supporting carrier which is situated in relation to the longitudinal center plane of the vehicle, and the body skin, in the region of the vehicle front end, has a left-hand-side front body side part, a right-hand-side front body side part and a front hatch which is arranged between said front body side parts. This vehicle body according to the invention is distinguished in that the left-hand-side front body side part covers the left-hand-side suspension strut cup, in that the right-hand-side front body side part covers the right-hand-side suspension strut cup, in that a left-hand-side front body skin supporting element is fitted to the left-hand-side supporting carrier and supports the left-hand-side front body side part above the top side of the left-hand-side suspension strut cup and determines a vertical distance between the suspension strut cup and the left-hand-side front body side part through which the top side of the left-hand-side suspension strut cup remains accessible, and in that a right-hand-side front body skin supporting element is fitted to the right-hand-side supporting carrier and supports the right-hand-side front body side part above the top side of the right-hand-side suspension strut cup and determines a vertical distance between the suspension strut cup and the right-hand-side front body side part through which the top side of the right-hand-side suspension strut cup remains accessible.
The provision according to the invention of body skin supporting elements on the respective lateral supporting carrier of the body structure allows the top section of the front body side part, which top section is inwardly wrapped around in relation to the vehicle longitudinal center plane, to be held at a vertical distance from the top side of the associated suspension strut cup and to be supported at the bottom and at the same time allows the thin body skin of the wrapped-around region of the body side part to be supported and to be reinforced. The provision of a vertical distance between the lateral supporting carrier and the top section of the front body side part additionally creates a deformation space which is provided for pedestrian protection, that is to say in the event of a head impact on the front hatch or on the front body side part for example. To this end, the body skin supporting element is designed such that it can yield for pedestrian protection. The reinforcement of the top section of the front body side part by the body skin supporting element therefore prevents the wrapped-around region of the body side part from being dented in the event of a possible slight pressure loading from above, but permits sufficient deformation both of the body skin supporting element and also of the wrapped-around front body side part in the event of a head impact of a pedestrian. In order to achieve the same advantage, the body skin supporting element also ensures that there is a vertical distance between the top section of the front body side part and the top side of the suspension strut cup, as a result of which an access space is also created, it being possible to work on the screw connections, which are provided on the top side of the respective suspension strut cup, through said access space for the purpose of fastening the suspension strut to the body structure using tools.
A particular advantage of this solution according to the invention is also that a vehicle, which was initially designed and equipped with a front hatch which extends virtually over the entire width of the vehicle front end and has lateral front hatch joints, can be reconstructed in the case of a so-called “facelift” to form a vehicle with internal front hatch joints and a narrow front hatch, without the inner body structure having the front supporting carriers and the suspension strut cups having to be changed.
The respective body skin supporting element is preferably provided with at least one passage opening through which access to the top side of the associated suspension strut cup is formed. Access to the screw connections, which are provided on the top side of the suspension strut cup, for the suspension strut is created through a passage opening of this kind.
It is also advantageous when the respective body skin supporting element is provided with or connected to a carrier structure which is situated on that side of the associated supporting carrier which faces the vehicle longitudinal center plane, which carrier structure is designed for receiving and/or fitting a hinge of the front hatch and/or of a front hatch supporting element, but also other components such as, for example, a wiping water container, an intake noise damper and/or a Bowden cable. A carrier structure of this kind allows the front hatch to be connected in an articulated manner to the body structure in a particularly elegant manner. Owing to the internal join between the front hatch and the front body side wall, the front hatch hinges cannot be fitted to the supporting carrier or to the A pillar. For reasons of installation space, the hinges also cannot be fitted to the end wall in the case of an internal join since the installation space there is already occupied by, for example, a windscreen wiper system and/or a braking force amplifier.
In this case, it is particularly advantageous when the carrier structure is situated on that side of the associated suspension strut cup which faces the vehicle longitudinal center plane, and when the at least one passage opening is provided in the carrier structure. The position of the carrier structure allows the provision of a particularly narrow front hatch and therefore of front hatch side joins which are situated toward the inside to a great extent. In this case, the provision of the passage opening ensures accessibility to the area above the top side of the suspension strut cup and therefore access for tools for screwing work on the suspension strut.
The invention also relates to a method for mounting a front body side part of a vehicle body which is designed according to the invention. Said method is distinguished by the steps of:    a) providing a body shell having a vehicle front end which has a left-hand-side and a right-hand-side suspension strut cup and, on that side of the respective suspension strut cup which faces the vehicle outer side, has a left-hand-side and a right-hand-side front supporting carrier which are each provided with a front body skin supporting element which is situated above the suspension strut cup;    b) mounting the front suspension struts in the respectively associated suspension strut cup of the body structure; and    c) mounting the respective front body side part on the body structure, wherein a region of the body skin of the respective front body side part is supported on the associated body skin supporting element.
This mounting method is particularly suitable for vehicle manufacture.
As an alternative, the method can also be designed in line with the following steps:    a′) providing a body shell having a vehicle front end which has a left-hand-side and a right-hand-side suspension strut cup and, on that side of the respective suspension strut cup which faces the vehicle outer side, has a left-hand-side and a right-hand-side front supporting carrier which are each provided with a front body skin supporting element which is situated above the suspension strut cup;    b′) mounting the respective front body side part on the body structure, wherein a region of the body skin of the respective front body side part is supported on the associated body skin supporting element; and    c′) mounting the front suspension struts in the respectively associated suspension strut cup of the body structure.
It is advantageous in the case of both methods when the respective front body side part is fixedly connected, preferably joined (for example welded, adhesively bonded, hooked or screwed), to the associated body skin supporting element.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.